By Gary Brooks
SportsLine Baseball Editor

Candidates emerge for Tom Lawless Award

You've got to look deep in the box scores to keep track of this batting race.

The contenders won't be anywhere near Tony Gwynn or Frank Thomas … or for that matter, Joe McEwing or Kevin Stocker. Instead, they are associated with the mortal Tom Lawless.

Tripp Cromer doesn't exactly carry a big stick.(Allsport)

Three times in his career, Lawless was the final player on an Opening Day roster to get a hit. In 1987, Lawless, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, didn't bump his average from .000 until August 12. He ended the regular season 2-for-25. But just as this season's candidates for the Tom Lawless Fizzlin' Award would like to do, Lawless became a World Series star when he hit a home run that year in the Cardinals' 7-2 Game 4 victory at Busch Stadium.

After watching the ball leave his bat, Lawless, acting like a slugger who drives pitches to the cheap seats regularly, tossed the bat over his shoulder and circled the bases.

Tripp Cromer, Kurt Abbott, Jorge Valendia, Gary Bennett and Jolbert Cabrera are hoping to have a similar highlight to their seasons.

Each has a zero in the hit column.

Velandia is the only Oakland Athletic who has not started a game and is 0-for-2. Bennett, Cleveland's Cabrera and Abbott of the Rockies each were 0-for-4 in limited time heading into Wednesday. Cromer was 0-for-7 for the Dodgers.

All but Bennett, who is serving as Philadelphia's backup catcher while waiting for Bobby Estalella to come off the disabled list, are backup infielders.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO STUDY the Arizona box scores to find Matt Williams' name. It jumps out at you with a nightly row of crooked numbers.

By the All-Star break, Williams might reach his rather pedestrian numbers of last season. Williams topped the National League in hits (31) and total bases (60), was second in RBI (21) and homers (7) and sixth in average (.360), through Tuesday.

Last season, the former All-Star hit just .267 with 20 home runs and 71 RBI.

In this age of statistical inflation he could surpass his career bests for home runs (43 in strike-shortened 1994) and RBI (122 in 1990).

Sizzlin' ... the countdown

5. Scott Elarton

The Astros young right-hander, who some scouts liked better than a healthy Kerry Wood, has not given up a hit in his 11 innings of relief. Batters are 0-for-16 and Elarton is 2-0 in relief.

4. Sammy Sosa

After a 1-for-17 start to the season, Sosa has gone 18 for 49 (.367) with 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 9 RBI and 11 runs scored in 12 games.

3. Eric Young

Out to prove to himself and the Los Angeles Dodgers that he was a true leadoff hitter, Young had stolen 15 bases in his first 17 games. Though he hasn't swiped a bag successfully in nearly a week, he still has more steals than 15 other teams. He's also hitting .312 with a .418 on-base percentage. The only area that needs improvement is runs scored. He's been driven in only 10 times by the Dodgers lineup.

2. Comeback kids

Half of the San Francisco Giants' 14 wins have been of the come-from-behind variety. Five of the seven comebacks saw the go-ahead run come in the eighth inning and Robb Nen close in the ninth.

1. Matt Williams

Grand Marshall of the Diamondbacks' hit parade.

Fizzlin' ... the countdown

5. Not so hot to Trot Nixon

One of the most popular Rookie-of-the-Year candidates to start the season, he was 0-for-24 in a recent stretch and has just three hits in 37 at-bats (.081).

4. Royce Clayton

Now that Fernando Tatis has exploded with power in the St. Louis Cardinals lineup, it makes the Texas Rangers trade for Clayton last July look bad. Clayton had been a consistent .250 to .260 hitter who averaged 35 doubles over the past two seasons, but this year has had an anemic bat. After an 0-for-3 Tuesday, Clayton is 6-for-52 (.115), with 1 RBI and only 8 total bases.

3. O's offense

Baltimore actually put eight runs on the scoreboard Tuesday but it fails to overshadow the three times the Orioles were shut out in the previous week (April 18, 22 and 24). The three shutouts matched Baltimore's total in the previous 260 games.

2. Greg Vaughn

The Cincinnati Reds are counting on huge run production from Greg Vaughn. So far, they've be unhappy at 7-11 in the NL Central cellar, partially because Vaughn has scored just four runs, all coming on his home runs.

1. Hitless wonders A blooper away from being eliminated for the Tom Lawless Award.